The Pioneer Trail: Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

10/17/2014 10:18:00 AM

Women's Tennis at Molloy - 4 p.m.
Having already clinched a second-straight berth in the ECC Tournament, the LIU Post women's tennis team will now jockey for a higher seed as it faces conference foe Molloy today at the Hempstead Lake Indoor Tennis Courts.

The Pioneers (6-2, 4-1 ECC) won their last match over Holy Family last Thursday (Oct. 9) by a score of 6-3. The green and gold were paced by juniors Didi Fatchikova (Sofia, Bulgaria) and Lucie Chrastecka (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), as both won their singles matches in straight sets. Both players remain undefeated in singles play on the year, sporting records of 8-0 and 7-0, respectively. Additionally, the tandem won their doubles match, dispatching their opponents in an 8-2 victory.  Sophomores Heena Kewalramani (Bangkok, Thailand) and Laura Harwell (Alabaster, Ala.) were victorious in their singles flights and doubles pairing as well.

The Lions (1-9, 1-4 ECC) have not been in action since last Tuesday (Oct. 7), when they were defeated by Holy Family in a 7-0 match. Senior Tatiana Rajaona (Paris, France) is the top player on the Molloy squad, boasting a 5-4 record in singles play.

Field Hockey at Stonehill - 6 p.m.
Arguably the biggest game on the schedule this season, the No. 6 LIU Post field hockey team travels to North Easton, Mass. tonight for a re-match of the 2013 NE-10 Championship game against fourth-ranked Stonehill.

The Pioneers (7-1, 3-0 NE-10) are fresh off the heels of a 4-2 victory against Southern Connecticut State on Tuesday (Oct. 14). Junior forward Keliann Margiotta (Sewell, N.J.) factored into all four LIU Post goals, scoring twice and assisting sophomore Lauren Adamusik (Clark, N.J.) and freshman Kaycee Zelkovsky (Lambertville, N.J.) on tallies in the win. 

Margiotta now has a conference-best 16 goals and 39 points on the season and has been named NE-10 Player of the Week three times so far. Both Zelkovsky and graduate defender Dani Crouse (Westville, South Africa) have scored four goals, and Adamusik has put three shots into the cage through eight contests.

The Skyhawks (7-1, 2-0 NE-10) defeated Bentley in their last match-up on Saturday (Oct. 11) by the final score of 3-1. Stonehill trailed 1-0 after the first half, before junior Elizabeth Thornton (Needham, Mass.) tied the contest. Less than three minutes later, reigning NE-10 Player of the Week Erika Kelly (Watertown, Mass.) would score to put the Skyhawks up for the first time in the match. The junior found the back of the cage again later in the second frame to cement the win.

Kelly finds herself second in the major statistical categories as her 11 goals and 26 points trail Margiotta's numbers. Fellow junior forward Lauren Giordano (Watertown, Mass.) has eight goals and 18 points on the season for Stonehill.

The tussle between the two NE-10 rivals may come down to a battle of goalkeepers. For the Skyhawks, senior netminder Elizabeth Genovese (Street, Md.) has taken the decision in all eight contests, posting a 1.79 goals-against average and a save percentage of .745. Sophomore goalie Ericka Parks (Nesconset, N.Y.) leads the Pioneers with a 6-0 record and a 1.08 GAA.

As previously mentioned, the two teams last squared off in the 2013 Northeast-10 Championship game on Nov. 10, 2013 in Brookville. LIU Post won the tightly contested affair by a score of 2-1, with Margiotta winning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award after scoring the game-winner.